Ripolini wrote:
I owned the Zeiss ZF.2 35/2 for twelve years. I sold it around one month ago.
It's a pretty good lens in terms of character: pictures of not so distant subjects, taken at the wider apertures, are very nice, with beautiful bokeh thanks to the lack of aspherical elements. However, the lens was not equally impressive when shooting landscapes and cityscapes at intermediate apertures. I mean, my reference landscape lenses are (in order) the Voigtlander 50/2 Apo Lanthar, the Zeiss ZF.2 135/2 Apo Sonnar and the Zeiss 100/2 Makro Planar. The ZF.2 35/2 could not equal the quality of those three lenses. I might surprise you, but the Nikkor Z 24-70/4 S was not that worse for landscapes ... I still own the ZF.2 21/2.8, but I find it annoying for its size & weight on my Z6+FTZ.
According to what I have seen in reviews and pictures posted in the web, I think that the ZF.2 28/2 Distagon could be preferable to the 35/2, if you like the wider angle of view. It suffers from a slightly larger field curvature at the wider apertures, but it should be sharper for landscapes (also in agreement with MTF plots). It's very difficult to find a good sample in the second hand market. This tells a lot on the quality of that 28 mm lens ......Show more →
I am not surprised about the comment on the 24-70 F4 Z at all. If I were going for landscapes and doing a lot of hiking and travel thats a no brainer lens to be sure. I am seeking just a hint of vintage in the look which is why I went with the Zeiss. The icy sharp looks are turning me off.
There is also this thread: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1774976/1 where on page 2 post 10, the OP shares some pics of subjects similar to what I would do with the lens. He has the ZE version, not the ZF but I cannot see any differences in optical quality. This thread also contains references to the Tamron 35 1.4 which is certainly the better lens, but the Zeiss contains the flavor I am looking for. I have mine on the way.....
Well I tried the Zeiss 35 Distagon and the rendering is magnificent. True microcontrast, Zeiss pop, and so on. But I decided to go back to the Tamron. This lens has truly the best balance of what I desire in a lens. resolution and rendering. I will live with the weight issue as this lens is worth it.
Well, after a few runs with the Zeiss, I decided to go back to a Tamron 35 1.4 adapted to my Z7II. What a lens. The little distagon had character and microcontrast and so on but the balance of resolution and painterly rendition of the Tamron is just some of the best I have ever seen on a Nikon camera. Heavy? You betcha, worth the weight? Absolutely. Focus is snappy on the camera. Eye focus is perfect. I did update the firmware to 2.0 on the lens. Absolutely gorgeous images coming out of this combination. The Z7II can bring out the best of this lens, more so than the D850 because of the extra precision of autofocus.
aerospace99 wrote:
Well, after a few runs with the Zeiss, I decided to go back to a Tamron 35 1.4 adapted to my Z7II. What a lens. The little distagon had character and microcontrast and so on but the balance of resolution and painterly rendition of the Tamron is just some of the best I have ever seen on a Nikon camera. Heavy? You betcha, worth the weight? Absolutely. Focus is snappy on the camera. Eye focus is perfect. I did update the firmware to 2.0 on the lens. Absolutely gorgeous images coming out of this combination. The Z7II can bring out the best of this lens, more so than the D850 because of the extra precision of autofocus....Show more →
Hi aerospace99, how did you update the firmware on the lens?
Thank You.
Not sure what it accomplished but I do know that many Tamrons had focus issues with Z cameras in the early going and Tamron provided a firmware update for all of the lenses at that time (2019). I will say I am quite happy with the results and the Tamron 35 is even snappier than the 28 1.4E Nikon lens that it replaces. It does chatter a bit, (so does the Nikon 70-200 FL adapted on Z) but you can feel the motor torque on this lens. Tamron gave it their best. I have to say that this lens ranks as one of the best lenses I have used on a Nikon camera and I have tried my share. A little chunky but worth it.
Man, every time I feel like I’ve moved on from wanting a quality 35mm this thread pops up. I have always regretted parting with my 28 1.4e even though I wasn’t using it enough. This lens seems to me to be a perfect replacement down the road after a couple other priorities.
I just passed by a camera shop, and decided to go inside to see if they had the Tamron 35mm, and they did. I tried with a Zii as this is the camera that I own.
My impressions, it’s a freaky big 35mm prime lens almost 900g, but very well built. It’s really front heavy on the Z7II, but I’m pretty sure that on a Z8 or Z9 it will balance much better.
By the few shots that I took, this lens renders really well at 1.4, it’s kind of a mixture between the old Nikkor 35mm 1.4g and the Sigma 1.4.
At the cost price of the Tamron 1.4, it’s kind of a no brainer if you’re looking for a 35mm with this kind of aperture, and if you don’t mind the size and the weight.
Best Regards…youie.
I adapted the EF version to a Sony for a bit, but the MC-11 was really in the way of autofocus performance and accuracy. I assume it would pair with an FTZ a lot better in that regard.
This lens reminded me a lot of the Zony 35/1.4...great bokeh, loads of character, great contrast.
For what it is, $700 is cheap if you already have the FTZ. I hate to say, most samples in this thread don't live up to what I think the lens is capable of.
It does not feel very good with FTZ. If Tamron made another version for F-Mount, I would probably think very hard about getting it.
Although I slightly prefer the old Nikon 35mm 1.4g for out of focus rendering and character... and it would still remain lighter with FTZ.
GoroMajima wrote:
It does not feel very good with FTZ. If Tamron made another version for F-Mount, I would probably think very hard about getting it.
Although I slightly prefer the old Nikon 35mm 1.4g for out of focus rendering and character... and it would still remain lighter with FTZ.
I thought the Sigma 28 1.4 was more front heavy than this. It's true its a beast but you have to consider what image you get with on say a Z7II. It's a fine art lens that brings out the best of the Nikon sensor. In fact, I will go so far as to say it might be one of the best lenses out there to do so. I am talking the likes of a Zeiss 135 Sonnar, 85 Milvus, Nikon 105 1.4, 28 1.4, Sigma 28 1.4 and 40, etc. The balance of rendering and resolution is exceptional. Take the 35 1.8S, its very sharp but lacks the soul that the Tamron oozes with. If I want fast and portable I use the 28 2.8, 40 2.0 combo, light and small, fast and reasonably sharp. But if I want serious fine art type photography at a wide on a 35mm sensor than this is it for me. No regrets. On a high res mirrorless this lens is sublime. Forget the weight.....its worth it. Just refer to Lens Rental review (probably the most accurate lens testing published) of this lens. Roger rated it as one of the best (for DSLR). See: https://fstoppers.com/gear/lens-rentals-declares-tamron-35mm-f14-lens-most-optically-superior-ever-tested-403149 What most people do not get is that this lens on a DSLR was always challenged by the PDAF problem and even with the Tap-In console lens dock you could not get the precision to bring out its true capability. I had this lens on a D850 and I sold it as I did not see it as overly exceptional. On the Z7II that changed.
Think of the 58 and 105 at wide apertures and how much better they look on the mirrorless. Similar thing here. This lens at 1.4 is excellent, like the 105 at 1.4 is on a 45MP Z camera. I think the 35 1.4G is a classic but it cannot keep up with the 45MP sensor, its resolution capability is just not there, The Tamron 35 1.4 most certainly can and has outstanding bokeh quality at the same time. Just my 2 cents, however its true that I have always been partial to Tamron renderings.
when I shot nikon before the sigma 35mm 1.4 was my fav lens. Back in the old Nikon game and this lens looks super interesting to try out. Love these captures.
